Cavalier, North Dakota, 1950s

From reader Jim Benjaminson come these two photos of his hometown of Cavalier, North Dakota. As he notes, “They both may have been taken at the same time, but the latest cars I can find in the one photo of are 1955/56 vintage while the swept-wing Dodge definitely makes the other photo of 1957 vintage.” Both appear to depict Main Street between Division and Second, with the one above looking east and the one below looking west. What do you see here?

I can’t make out DODGE lettering across the trunk and sedan make me believe it is more common Coronet.

Unlike Chrysler, DeSoto or Plymouth, Dodge did not make you pay for most expensive model, 300, Adventurer or Fury to get the hottest engine. You could just order up the D-500 or D-501 performance package and plunk it in any Dodge. A few emblems would indicate that choice, as seen on the Custom Royal right side of the trunk lid.

Wikipedia does a better job than me for 1957 Engine info.

Dodge released a 325 cu in (5.3 L) engine for 1957. The engine used a 3.6875 in (93.7 mm) bore and 3.80 in (96.5 mm) stroke. The base engine offering was now a polyspheric chambered head referenced as ‘KDS’, and a higher performance 325 was offered with hemi heads as the ‘KD-500’. Again there was a low volume offering of a ‘KD-500-1’ with dual four barrel carburetors. All engines now, however, had hydraulic camshafts even though the hemi headed offerings sported “dimples” in the valve covers for mechanical adjuster clearance.

larry youngsays:

January 30, 2014 12:37 pm

Paladinsays:

January 30, 2014 4:43 pm

About 12 years ago, I was out on a summer evening cruise through the hills in Central Kentucky. Driving on a beautiful house and business free road of cuts and passes called Joe Prather Highway (Hardin County) Sun low in the sky, warm breeze, Three of us on the road, Strangers to each other. In the lead, an F-150 truck, followed by a Harley Davidson Sportster, and me in an 89 Camaro RS. I recall at the time .Boy, How American can you get!

Howard Arbituresays:

January 31, 2014 6:43 am

Hi Lar, not me, big city boy, born & raised, but love a small town, that’s where I want to “run the clock out”. Love the water tower, a small town in N.Wis. (Phillips) has a water tower like that. It’s non operational, but they keep it up for aesthetics, (for now). And Paladin, I like your memory of the cruise, however, today’s scene would probably be a Toyota Tundra, followed by a Yamaha, and a Kia. (sniff)

Paladinsays:

January 31, 2014 7:15 am

Well, Those Tundras are made not too far from me in Evansville, Indiana, and toyota has a car plant here in Ky. so that kinda makes them naturalized Americans, Don’t know about Kia/Hyundai, but Subaru has a plant in Indiana, BMW has one in Alabama, Mitsubishi in Illinois, Honda in Ohio, Etc…. So “them damn “furrin cars” complaint of our fathers generation doesn’t hold anymore. Oh, and Joe Prather Highway runs east and west. The entire 10 mile north side of the highway is bordered by Ft. Knox Army Post (yeah, THAT Ft. Knox!) So F-150’s and Harleys and such still dominate around here! 🙂

Howard Arbituresays:

January 31, 2014 10:00 am

George Allegrezzasays:

January 31, 2014 11:20 am

My wife just bought an Acura RDX, and I was surprised and pleased to see that the car itself, along with the engine and transmission, are Amerikanski-made. Even the tires! It’s hard to define an “import” these days.

For NASCAR fans, note the Fusion is built in Mexico and the SS in Australia, but the Camry is built here.

grobysays:

January 31, 2014 3:57 pm

Hyundai built a plant in Alabama a few yeats before affiliate Kia’s went up.
This week Honda US said it exported more cars made in North America than it imported. Made in USA Hondas, Toyotas and Nee-saans collectively go to about 150 markets now and I believe Mitsi exports or soon will. The new free trade agreement means you can now buy a Kentucky made Camry in Korea.
None of this is new. The early 90s Camry wagon in my UK ‘urb is from the US as was a whole heap of Accord coupes and wagons a decade or two back.

Howard Arbituresays:

January 30, 2014 12:39 pm

What a different scene from Las Vegas yesterday. High end Cadillacs and Packards, replaced by working Joe beaters, except the Dodge, somebody had some coin. I remember Coast to Coast hardware, they had everything, from candy( note three wheeler) to spark plugs. Remember Pure gas? ” Be sure with Pure”. It was the fuel of auto racing for many years, and became Union 76, a pioneer in “all-in one” nationwide truck stops. I believe George Lucas modeled his “Mos Eisley Spaceport( a wretched hive of scum and villainy) after a 76 truck stop he visited with his family as a kid.

January 30, 2014 9:15 pm

Davesays:

January 31, 2014 3:33 pm

In 1974, I drove to Cavalier to visit my parents. Dad was assigned there with GE on a government project. From the Interstate we cut west and drove for what seemed like days. It was dark when we say the lights of Cavalier in the distance. We drove a few more “days” and finally reached Cavalier.

Except for the years of the cars, the town looked just like these pictures. 🙂

Scottsays:

January 30, 2014 12:48 pm

Brings back memories. Cavalier looked exactly the same when visiting in January 1972, except for newer vehicles and more trucks and suburbans. I think the same 2 lane bowling alley with kids working as pin-setters was there also. Might still be the same.
Love those Buick portholes, and the 4dr DeSoto similar to the recently featured car.

January 31, 2014 10:44 am

Roger Lagesays:

January 30, 2014 2:27 pm

I enjoy looking at the Hemming’s site on a daily basis, if I remember to check it. What a joy today to see my hometown on the front of the Website. I also remember as a young child coming to town with all of the farmers and their families to do the weekly shopping on (Thursday?) evenings. The small towns of America where vibrant in the 50’s and 60’s, but many of us have moved to the urban areas to seek our successes. Love those vintage American made automobiles!

larry youngsays:

January 30, 2014 6:32 pm

Paladinsays:

January 31, 2014 7:27 am

Oh, and AL’? IN RE; The possible 12 step. I am a Nurse and work in a rehab facility. Can probably get you in. Just on the line where it says type of addiction, Cross out drugs and write in Avanti. As the commercial says.. “I should know, I was an addict for “x” number of years and now I’m not”!..

Just kidding, I too am addicted to Avanti lust and for that matter any orphan brand!.I mean hey, I had an affair in the late 80’s with an Opel that I am still not over..sniff!

Howard Arbituresays:

January 31, 2014 10:06 am

Jim Holmessays:

January 31, 2014 9:57 am

Carmen Angelosays:

January 31, 2014 10:09 am

I ‘m looking for Marty Mc Fly and the Doc ..What a Time Machine photo. Growing up here in Ohio you cans still see some of these towns minus the cars except on a occasion or two. Noticed the Hotel claiming to be fireproof to ease the minds of would be traverls. wish we could jump right onto the photo and take a walk down the street for a few hours.

Jim Benjaminsonsays:

January 31, 2014 10:11 am

Sorry, Cavalier was not named for Rene-Robert Cavelier; the city and the county were named for Charles Cavileer, the first collector of customs at Pembina in the 1850s and the first postmaster, in what would become Dakota Territory and later the state of North Dakota.

Studebakers were fairly scarce in Cavalier as there were no local dealers, I believe the nearest one was in Grand Forks.

Lotusyanksays:

January 31, 2014 11:12 am

GeoBsays:

January 31, 2014 12:31 pm

Hey, Cuz this takes me back to the day when my ’49 Ply was my set of wheels – 2nd year at UND. Do you remember ‘Gabriel’?. Called her that because only the horn worked when I got her – – – Very Cool, Thanks!! I can ALMOST see your house at the far end of the street in the first pic.

Brian Decksays:

January 31, 2014 1:31 pm

Lesmoresays:

January 31, 2014 1:42 pm

Great pictures. I grew up in the ’50’s and ’60’s. My family used to spend summers (July + August) at a northern Minnesota lake. I spent a lot of time in small towns in Minnesota back then and grew to love the area.

North Dakota isn’t too much different.

Those picture bring back memories of small town hardware stores, bars, general stores, underground ice cellars behind the hardware stores…gas stations that were built in the 20’s and had a ‘look’ that you don’t get in modern buildings.

I still recall around 1963 or ’64 when the local hardware store started handling Honda motorcycles and had the 50cc scooter displayed in the window…along with wicker picnic baskets.

JIM Buckleysays:

January 31, 2014 1:58 pm

Michael Waterssays:

January 31, 2014 2:31 pm

You know if it’s North Dakota, there’s gotta be some serious weather happening during the winter months. And what I see in these photos is the almost complete absence of trucks and the yet-to-be-defined “SUV” with AWD. In the second photo, I think that’s maybe a 3/4-ton Dodge truck on the left. There’s another truck a little ways down the street on the right with a boxed over bed and then maybe a Willis / Jeep (?) farther down on the right. That’s about it for truck hardware. So, either people in Cavalier bring out their cars only in confidently good weather, or these folks were really adept at getting about in conventional RWD automobiles year round. Remember when 4WD vehicles were a rare sight in your locale? Being a North Carolina boy, I sure do.

Howard Arbituresays:

January 31, 2014 2:58 pm

Hi Michael, gotta remember, trucks in the ’50’s were just that. If there wasn’t a “truck” job to do, they sat in a shed until needed. Many small towns in N.Wis. look like this too, the same as they ever did. Not too many “roundabouts” in little towns, which, BTW, are really catching on in big cities. Awful things, roundabouts.

raysays:

January 31, 2014 3:18 pm

….Howard’s right……..almost no pickups were driven by young guys in the ’50’s, especially in the cities……..even if they got the free use of one from where they worked, they couldn’t wait to ditch it and hop into their ’50 Fords when they got home……..

Lesmoresays:

January 31, 2014 3:40 pm

I live even further north than North Dakota…in Manitoba. I spent about a year and a half of summers in Northern Minnesota.

All cold, wintry places.

Back then (’50’s/60’s), for the most part the only people that had pick up trucks were farmers, ranchers, tradesman, utility companies, garages, etc. Not many townsfolk drove pickups as their daily driver.

During the almost half year winters up north, we drove mostly big, domestic cars/station wagons with weight in the back and rear mounted, drive wheel only…snow tires.

The only 4WD’s I recall was a church handyman who had an early Jeep Wagoneer (OHC I 6)….the local B/A (British American ) gas station that had an old WW2, ex Canadian Army, Dodge Power Wagon as their push/tow vehicle and a guy who had another ex-WW2 Cdn Army Jeep.

First car he ever had with traction assist was his ’61 Chevy Nomad wagon…283, PG and positraction. That would of been the July ‘
61 when he got the Nomad.

All other cars before had 2WD and were rear drive.

Rarely did we get stuck, but my father did have what he referred to as an ‘educated winter’ foot.

February 1, 2014 3:06 am

EarlWelchsays:

February 3, 2014 4:38 pm

Dan, thanks for posting these old photos, they sure bring back memories! Wouldn’t it be great to be able to go back in time in a modern car and just cruise around looking at all the oldies and answering questions about the car we have? [Would be rather hard to explain though…..!]